Innovation Potential of Tomsk Oblast

Tomsk Oblast is a Russian leader in innovation potential. According to the highly-regarded rating agency, Expert-RA, Tomsk Oblast is fourth among the regions of Russia with the greatest preconditions for innovative development, outstripping Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk Region. Innovation potential’s share of the total potential of the Oblast is 21.7%.

According to the Federal Service of National Statistics, the level of innovative activity among Tomsk companies in 2006 was 15.6% (as compared to 8.6% in Russia and 6.9% in the Siberian Federal District), that is, almost every sixth company in Tomsk in engaged in innovations.

Scientific and Educational Facilities

An important competitive advantage of the region is the presence of a wide range of scientific and educational facilities, which can enable the development and inculcation of modern technologies at existing and newly-created Tomsk enterprises. There are six universities in Tomsk, including the Tomsk State University and Tomsk Polytechnic University – the oldest in Siberia – which both count among the five best higher educational establishments in Russia. The Region’s higher educational establishments educate students in all essential specialties for high-tech business. The universities of Tomsk facilitate a steady flow of young people from the regions of Siberia and the Russian Far East, Kazakhstan and countries of Central Asia, the best of which replenish scientific schools and enterprises, and take on the mantle of organizers of the innovation business. A total of 100,000 people study in Tomsk’s universities – every fifth person in Tomsk is a student.

Tomsk universities and colleges:

1. Tomsk State University (TSU)
2. Tomsk State University of Radio Electronics and Control Systems (TUSUR)
3. Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU)
4. Tomsk State University of Architecture
5. Tomsk State Pedagogical University
6. Tomsk State Pedagogical University
7. Tomsk Agricultural Institute (Tomsk Branch of Novosibirsk State Agricultural University)
8. Tomsk Institute of Business
9. Tomsk Institute of Law and Economics
10. Seversk State Academy of Technology
11. Tomsk Military Medical Institute

Tomsk universities and colleges scientific and research centers:

1. Institute "Cybernetic Center" TPU
2. TUSUR Automatics and Electromechanics Research Institute
3. TSU Research Institute of Biology and Biophysics
4. TPU High Tensions Research Institute
5. TPU Introscopy Research Institute
6. TSU Research Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics
7. Research Institute of Construction Materials in Tomsk State University of Architecture
8. TPU Research Institute of Nuclear Physics
9. TSU Academic V.D.Kuznetsov Siberian Physico-Technical Institute
10. TSU Siberian Botanic Garden
11. Research Institute of Radiotechnical Systems
12. Research Institute of Electrical Communication Systems
13. Research Institute of Electronic Systems
14. Research Institute of Electronic Technological Equipment and Communications

A total of 20 elements of the innovation infrastructure work successfully in Tomsk, including: 7 offices for the commercialization of inventions; 10 business incubators of various specialties; 2 centers for the transfer of technology and other consulting organizations working in the sphere of support for innovative activities in higher educational establishments. In the ‘orbit’ of activity of commercialization offices, there can be found approximately 400 scientific and educational inventions, on the basis of which 40-60 innovation projects have been formed and submitted for financing to different competitive programs, funds, banks, etc. Through collaboration with such offices in 2006 17 licensing agreements were concluded and licensing payments to higher educational establishments for the first time exceeded 700,000 rubles.

Tomsk Oblast is 4th among Russian regions for having the greatest number of Doctors of Science among university professors, 3rd (after Moscow and St Petersburg) for the number of students per 10,000 residents; 3rd for the number of young people aged 17-25 in higher education.

Science

In Tomsk there are 16 scientific research institutes of the Tomsk Scientific Centers of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences’ Siberian Sections.

Tomsk Scientific Centers of the Russian Academy of Sciences

• Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Institute of Atmospheric Optics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Institute of High Current Electronics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Institute of Physics of Strength and Material Science of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Institute of Petroleum Chemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Tomsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Structure Macrokinetics Department of Tomsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
• Tomsk Branch of A.A.Trofimchuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Russian Academy of Medical Sciences’ Siberian Section

• Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology
• Research Institute of Cardiology
• Research Institute of Medical Genetics
• Cancer Research Institute
• Mental Health Research Institute
• Research Institute of Pharmacology
• ‘Medical Radiology and Bioradiology’ Scientific and Research Laboratory
• Research Institute of Balneology and Physical Medicine of the Russian Federation Ministry of Health

Tomsk Oblast is on the 14th place among Russian regions in the absolute figures rating of personnel engaged in scientific and research developments (8357 individuals) and it is on the 1st place in the rating per capita. In comparison with 1995, the number of researchers increased by 700 persons while this number keeps decreasing all over Russia.